Why You Should Be Embracing Your Single Summers

By

Every year, Mother Nature goes to the department store and pays someone to fancy gift wrap this beautiful present called summer just for single people. She doesn’t even care if you rip the perfectly curled bow when you’re tearing the paper off as you open it.

The best part about being single during the summer is that everyone is half naked most of the time. Here in Memphis where I live, it’s HOT, it’s HUMID and everyone wears a lot less clothes. You can just hop in your car and drive around and see tons of dudes cutting the grass without their shirts on. Better than cable television I tell ya. If you just got out of a relationship, this is perfect. Go take some time to soak in all the beautiful other people out there walking around you haven’t met yet. It’s a big world and instead of sulking around missing someone, get out there on life’s big beach with your margarita in hand and enjoy the show.

Another great part about being on your own in the summer is the plethora of social activities at your doorstep. During the winter its cold and people stay home a lot crying in their French onion soup but in the summer everyone is out and about soaking up that Vitamin D. They’re all feeling good and ready to mingle. There are festivals, outdoor concerts, BBQs, pool parties, lake trips, parades and patio drinking. If you want to be with people, you won’t have to twist too many arms to find someone to hang out with you. It stays light out later so you won’t even notice when you are at happy hour after work and it’s 8 PM because guess what? SUNS OUT. Everyone knows that if the sun is still out you are in the clear to continue slurping down happy hour cocktails. It’s science.

Another plus to the summer is that even the holidays are fun. You always hear about people crying at Christmas or family fights at Thanksgiving, but the only holidays that take place during summer months are Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Both of these center around drinking, stripping down to your bathing suit around some form of water and eating phallic-shaped foods. If you don’t have a significant other to bring to a family holiday event with you — who cares? Everyone’s going to be too busy being tipsy on the pontoon boat trying to soak up the booze with hot dogs and chips and dip to shoot you any “poor single you” looks. If they do, you can just accidentally spray water all over their face as you speed off for the time of your life on a Wave Runner. It’s impossible to be bummed out on a Wave Runner.

So it’s summer. It’s Friday (or Monday- who cares- SUMMER). Clock your single butt out of that 9 to 5 and head down to your local watering hole. I’m partial to Max’s Sports Bar here in South Main. The big screen on the deck always has some sports event on and you can cool off with a couple of chilled Patrón cocktails after a long week or day at the office. Let the smell of bug spray and sweat lead you where it will because before you know it, everyone’s tan, oiled bodies are going to be hidden under sweaters and jackets and grandma’s going to be sympathetically patting your head when you show up for the winter holiday with nothing but a new tattoo that you hopefully got this summer having the time of your life.